MSDSonline can now report that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has concluded its review of OSHA’s revised Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) and GHS adoption is pending.

According to the OMB website, OMB concluded its review of the revised HCS on February 21, 2012 with a ruling that OSHA's rule was "consistent with change." Consistent with change means that OMB agrees with the intent of the rule, but wants to see a "substantive" change before it is published. Once the change is made, it may be published in the Federal Register. OMB approval was the last major hurdle before OSHA could publish the final rule on GHS in the Federal Register. OSHA is expected to move quickly to address the change(s).

Aligning the Hazard Communication Standard with GHS (also known as the Globally Harmonized System) will affect over 5 million U.S. workplaces and over 40 million U.S. workers with exposure to hazardous chemicals.

“With this latest development, it is time for businesses to get serious about transitioning to GHS,” said Glenn Trout, president and CEO of MSDSonline. “The three main tasks for most businesses are employee training, managing the safety data sheet churn, and making sure the workplace labeling is compliant with GHS.”

Trout added, “Employers would do well to look to cloud technology for readymade solutions for all three critical GHS transition tasks. For instance, at MSDSonline we’ve been preparing for this outcome for years and in addition to GHS solutions for facilities of every size, we’ve been hosting a series of free Webinars to help employers prepare.”

Registration for MSDSonline’s free GHS Webinar series can be found at GHS Webinar. The presentation is 30 minutes long and covers the major changes GHS brings to the HCS as well as steps employers can take to stay compliant. As soon as OSHA publishes the final rule on GHS adoption, Trout said the presentation will be updated to incorporate any new information.

Additional information on GHS, including solutions for authoring GHS compliant safety data sheets (SDS) and meeting regulatory reporting obligations can be found at MSDSonline.com and the GHS Answer Center.

About MSDSonline Founded in 1996 and based in Chicago, MSDSonline is a leading provider of cloud-based EH&S compliance solutions, offering products and services for managing safety data sheets, reporting workplace incidents, training employees and administering other critical EH&S information. The company’s mission is to provide sustainable solutions that help customers improve employee safety, streamline compliance recordkeeping and reduce potential exposures to workplace hazards and risks. MSDSonline has been recognized for the last six years on Inc. magazine’s list of America’s 5,000 fastest-growing private companies. More information is available online at www.MSDSonline.com and on the official company blog at www.MSDSonline.com/blog. MSDSonline is an ICG (Nasdaq: ICGE) company.